Improvement in the attachment of main-springs to watch-barrels



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ARTHUR WADSWORTH, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, FOR HIMSELF, AND ROBERT SCHELL, OF NEV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNEE OF ARTHUR WVADSWORTH.

Letters Patent No. 91,388, dated June 15, 1869; antedated December 15, 1868; yreissue No. 3,663, dated October 5, 1869.

y mPRovnMnNT m THE ATTAGHMENT or- MAIN-srnmes To WATCH-Bassens. ae.

To all whom t't 'may concern: g

Be it known that ARTHUR WA'nswoRrH, of Newark, in lthe county o f Essex, `and State of New Jersey, did obtain Letters Patent, vdated J une 15,1869, land antedated December 15, 1868, fora new and useful Improvement in Watches, which Letters Patent, byvirtue of an assignment, duly recorded in the Patent Oice, were assigued, set over, and transferred to the said ARTHUR WADswoRfrH andRoBER'r ScHELL, of the city, county, and State of New York; and that the following description, taken in connection `vwith the accompanying drawings, hereinafter` referred to, forms a full and exact specification of the same, wherein are set forth the nature and principles of the said improvement, by which the invention may be distinguished from all others of a similar class, together with such parts as are claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent.- y

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in watches; and

It consists in a novel manuel' of connecting the .main-spring of the watchto the barrel in which said spring is enclosed, whereby the connection is made to follow the spring, or approach in a direction toward the centre or arbor of the saine, as the spiingis wound up, and to recede or move outward from the centre or arbor of the spring, as the latter unwinds, thereby preventing the breaking ofthe spring-a'contiugency of frequent occurrence in the ordinary mode of coilnecting the outer end of the spring directly to the barrel.

In order to obtain the very desirable result above specified, a section or segment ofthe periphery ofthe .barrel is cutout, and one end of said section or segment is hinged, or connected by pivots, to the main portionl of the barrel, the opposite end ofthe sect-ion or segment 'being connected to therouter end of -the spring, the

parts being arranged in such a manner that the sec- .tion or segment, when fully closed, and the spring is uuwound, will be flush with the inner surface of the periphery ofthe barrel, andthe full benefit of the spring obtained in its action upon tb'e movement of the watch, and the action o1- power ofthe spring brought to bear upon the barrel more directly, or in a directioumore concentrically therewith, than hitlierto.

Or, if desirable, instead of cutting out a section or segment of the periphery of the barrel, the'end ofthe' main-spring may be provided with pivots, tting into corresponding holes in the upper and lower sides of the` barrel, so that as the spring is wound up, the pivots willturn, and allow the end of the spring to conform to the convolutions. of the spring, without strain, and thus avoid the tendency to break at the point of juncture.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings- Figure 1 is an internal view of the barrel of a watch, having a spring within it, in an unwound state,

and attached to the barrel, in accordance with the in' vention Figure 2, Aa view of the same, showing the spring fullyrwound up. i

Figure 3, a section of figs. 1 and 2, taken in the line x :11, A

Figure 4, a view of the barrel of a watch, having a spring enclosed, and attached in the ordinary way.

Similar -letters of reference indicate corresponding -parts in the several. drawings.'

A represents the barrel of a watch, the bottom, u., and side, l), being in one piece, and the top, c, made separately, and fitted over the upper edge of the side, b, like a box-cover, the top, c, being sufficiently' large in diameter to project beyond the side, b, and admit 1 of being toothed, to communicate motion to the train.

.passes loosely and centrally 'removed or 'cnt out, and the piece or segment d thus cutout, ora similar one, is inserted in its place, and secured at one end by pivots or pins e, which project from the upper and lower sides of the segment, and fit in suitable holes in the bottom, a, and top, c, of the barrel, said holes being made at such points'l that the segment (l, when closed, so as to fill up the opening inthe side, l), will be flush with both the exterior and interior surfaces of the side, b.

The outer-end .of the spring C is attached to the free ordisengaged end of the segment d, and it will be seen that this segment forms theconnection belto be broken, as when attached in the ordinary way,

to wit, by means of a hook, j, 'and directlyto the inner surface of the side of the barrel, as shown in iig. 3.

.The action of the spring will, consequently, be more' uniform on the barrel; and, besides this, the full beneiit of the spring obtained for the interior of the barrel is not enroached upon or monopolized by any part or parts whatever.

.In the ordinary-mode of connecting the outer end of the spring O to the barrel, the hook f prevents the spring uncoiling two turns, or takes up the room or of two turns of the spring. This feature, in connection with the 'liability of the spring to break, owing to the strain or pull being materially out of the direction of theturningmovement of the barrel, and

the inappreeiable additional expense in adopting this "improvement, which obviates the difficulties above alluded to, render this invention of material p'raetical value in the vmanufacture of watches.

Having thus described the invention,

What is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

1. The pivoted segment d, fitted in the periphery or side, b, of the barrel A, with the pivots,which are at one end of the segment, working in fixed bearings inv the barrel, and the opposite or4 free end of the segment attached to the outer end of 4the spling C, all arranged substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth. v

2. The mannerof attaching main-springs to watches, so that the end of the spring may turnon pivots fitted into fixed bearings in the upper and lower, sides of the barrel. Y

ARTHUR WADSWORTH. ROBERT SGHELL. Witnesses:

H. L. WATTENBERG, G. M. PLYMPTON. 

